Dog brain scans show that dogs are daft enough to let humans scan their brains

Many dog owners believe that their pet is so stupid that it will let them do pretty much anything they like to it. But now, a new study into canine brains has revealed that dogs are even more dense than was once thought. Researchers from Hungary found that dogs will even let people load them into an MRI scanner and will then lie still while the machine scans their brains for any signs of activity.

Lead researcher Andics Attila, from the Comparative Ethology Research Group at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, said, ‘We always thought dogs were thick because, unlike cats, they can’t be let out on their own, or be trusted not to chew carpet, for example. ‘But our results show that they are so dippy we can even subject them to mad scientific experiments.’

The next stage of the research will involve looking in detail at a part of the canine brain called the temporal pole, which is the most anterior part of the temporal lobe. The researchers believe that this region could be responsible for the desire to energetically sniff around members of the opposite sex, eat absolutely anything that’s put in front of them, and greet people they recognise with an over-enthusiastic ‘you’re my bestest friend in the world ever and I love you mate’ attitude. Dr Attila added, ‘We’re hoping to find a link between canine brain activity and the effect of alcohol on men.’